This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every persons position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the FAQ and RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate and remove the ads - it's free!

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

Originally Posted by tessaesque

But during his speech last night he said, "yesterday, I authorized a task force...." ...he contradicted himself, too..because a few sentences earlier he said, "last week"...I thought maybe it was just a stumble (he had a few...i don't fault him on the teleprompter use, but you can tell he's using one...) and ignored it..but then I read articles this morning..some saying "last week" and some saying "Saturday". Also, the whole "burial at sea" thing was supposed to be about burying him w/i 24 hours of death, which is the Islamic protocol.

And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

Does sound a little odd I guess. It will all come out soon enough....a timeline I mean.

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

The date a raid is authorized does not necessarily mean that the raid took place on that date. The raid took place on the date it was ordered (5/1).

Second, with respect to the DNA evidence, CNN reported, "DNA matching is under way on samples from his body, the official said."

Without the DNA we'd have to be pretty certain to make an announcement then, eh? I wonder what made them certain enough of his identity to go ahead with the announcement. Perhaps autopsy findings? I mean, I'm sure the guy didn't have an AQ member's card in his wallet or anything...

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

Details of America's plan to find and kill Osama bin Laden are still emerging. Here's what reports have told us so far:

May Day, 2011:

1pm EST – Top advisers began to gather at the White House in preparation for the strike.
2pm EST – Obama joins his advisers to review the final preparations.

Meanwhile, in an affluent suburb near the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, 62 miles outside Islamabad, helicopters flew towards a heavily guarded mansion. Clues gathered since 9/11 led a small team of U.S. Special Forces to this place, and not the remote tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden was said to be hiding. Given the go-ahead, the troops stormed the compound.

Forty minutes and a gunfight later, one of the world's most notorious terrorists lay dead, along with his son and two couriers. The BBC reports two women who were also inside at the time were injured and another died during the firefight. No American forces were injured in the raid, but CNN reports a U.S. helicopter crashed, and had to be destroyed with explosives set by U.S. troops for “security reasons.”

A senior administration official told CNN that any intelligence about bin Laden was not shared with foreign governments and the details of the raid were only known to a small group of individuals in the U.S. government. However, a high-level Pakistani intelligence official said to CNN their intelligence officers were also on standby in Abbottabad.

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

Does sound a little odd I guess. It will all come out soon enough....a timeline I mean.

Thanks for the transcript! I knew he had been confusing but I couldn't remember the exact wording. And who knows, maybe it was a rushed statement to get the news out before media sensationalism took over?

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

Originally Posted by Simon W. Moon

The photo with that story has been debunked as a hoax and has been on the interwebz for a couple of years now, iirc.

So the question still remains. Where are the pictures (or better yet video) of the body ? Wouldn't it have been simple for someone to shoot a 2 minute video of Bin Laden dead, to confirm it ? Anybody got any video ? Got any photos ? Got anything ?

If not ? Why not ? Keeping in mind that a Bin Laden death represents a major political plus for the Obama administration. Also keeping in mind that the only original spokesman of this so far are within the US military ? (of which Obama is Commander in Chief)

Re: Osama Bin Laden is dead

Originally Posted by Scanner

So the question still remains. Where are the pictures (or better yet video) of the body ? Wouldn't it have been simple for someone to shoot a 2 minute video of Bin Laden dead, to confirm it ? Anybody got any video ? Got any photos ? Got anything ?

If not ? Why not ? Keeping in mind that a Bin Laden death represents a major political plus for the Obama administration. Also keeping in mind that the only original spokesman of this so far are within the US military ? (of which Obama is Commander in Chief)